John Dramani Mahama, the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has issued a stern warning against any attempts to divert funds intended for drought relief in Northern Ghana to individuals affiliated with the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The government has recently requested GHS 500 million from the contingency fund to support farmers affected by the drought, pending approval from Parliament. Mahama, speaking at a rally in Ayorya, Kintampo South District of the Bono Region, stressed the importance of distributing these funds fairly, without regard to political affiliations.
He expressed concerns over potential misuse of the funds, citing the alleged mismanagement of COVID-19 relief funds as a precedent. Mahama emphasized the need for transparency and called for the involvement of local chiefs in the distribution process to ensure accountability.
“The NPP has made things difficult and because of their bad luck, it didn’t rain this year. As we speak, Parliament is yet to approve compensation for the drought victims. We won’t allow them to share the funds among themselves like they did with the COVID funds.”
He concluded by stressing that the relief must reach the intended beneficiaries, and vowed to closely monitor the distribution process to ensure fairness.“The support must reach the intended beneficiaries, and we’ll be watching closely. The chiefs must be allowed to be part of the distribution process.”
